Danse Macabre
by animus-furandi
Summary: Two teens dance to a dramatic song, making a connection for the first and last time. Songfic to "Danse Macabre," composed by Camille Saint-Säens. Enjoy


**Disclaimer: Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.  
Word Count: 931**

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The masquerade ball is in full swing. People flutter about like birds, mingling with one another and enjoying the music. The dancers perform a slow waltz, gliding across the floor with each synchronized step. The song comes to a close, and each man bows to his dance partner, receiving a curtsy in return. All is silent.

A single note rings out from a harp, like a bell tolling in a church's steeple. The instrument's frame sways slightly with every pluck of the string. A young lady of about nineteen lifts up her decorative mask, scanning the crowd around her with emerald eyes. She searches for a man her age that she's danced with before. Not just any man, though. The man she searches for wore a confident smirk on his face and had wild, platinum blonde hair. And though she's not positive, she thinks he had red eyes.

She feels someone tap her on the shoulder. Quickly pulling her mask back into place, she whips around to stare down the offending person, only to come face-to-face with the man she'd been looking for. He smirks and offers her his arm - an invitation to dance, she realizes - and she accepts. They make their way through the crowd until they are at the center of the dance floor.

Several harsh notes come from a violin, getting softer and faster with each stroke of the bow. The teens make eye contact for a brief moment before the blonde man reaches out to take the girl's waist. He looks pointedly at her hand. Blushing, she extends her arm to rest a gloved hand on his shoulder. They join their free hands just as a flute begins to play a dark melody, signaling the beginning of the dance.

No words are exchanged as the man leads his counterpart through the steps they're both familiar with. He takes a moment to marvel in the way her jade dress - the color matches her eyes, he notices - flares out around her ankles with every spin she makes, revealing delicate diamond-studded heels. He doesn't notice, however, that she too is admiring his attire - a black suit with a gold tie. Simple, she thinks, but elegant nonetheless.

The music picks up now, the orchestra playing the refrain as an oboe articulates the rhythm. Suddenly, the violin slides through a descending chromatic scale, backed up by the cellists on the off-beats. It is almost as if a spell has been put over the attendees, as nobody wants to make too much noise so they can all hear the music. One could barely hear the soft click of high heels as they hit the marble floor with each step.

The girl feels herself being pulled closer to the man, but she does nothing to resist. He smiles, leading her in the dance as the music swells to a nearly deafening volume around them, couples twirling about on the dance floor. The teens continue their dance without any more disturbances when the music reaches a climactic crescendo. The blonde man literally sweeps her off of her feet, spinning in a circle before gently setting her back on the ground.

A violin begins to play a rather subdued melody. Several sharp notes are heard from a xylophone, startling all the dancers in the room. The teens are unfazed, however, and dance with more intensity than before. The dancers hear the already familiar refrain echo through the room as the blonde spins his partner again, wondering just how difficult it is to dance in those heels. She's an excellent dancer, he notes, as the song slows considerably and the volume decreases dramatically, now so soft that it can barely be heard over the swish of evening gowns as couples dance away the evening.

Both boy and girl fail to notice that they are the only ones remaining on the dance floor. The song seems to be drawing to a close, as the melody becomes mournful. Low notes are emitted from the violin as the bow is drawn painstakingly slowly across the strings before transforming into a fast but eerie trill. Coming to their senses, they stop dancing and face each other. The boy bows deeply, even going as far as to incline his head. He takes her hand in his and looks up at her, and just for a moment, emerald meets ruby. Smirking once more, he winks at her; and just as the violinist plucks the last note, he is gone.

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A/N: The song that inspired this story was _Danse Macabre_, composed by Camille Saint-Säens in 1874. If you're interested, the version of the piece I listened to is here: http : / / www . youtube . com / watch ? v = Wrvl7Hxj0i0

And so, that's the end of my very first Axis Powers: Hetalia fic!

If you weren't positive, the characters I tried to describe here were Prussia and Hungary. I avoided using their names to add to the mysteriousness of the fic. I might have focused a little too much on the musical part of the story, as it was originally a prompt for a school assignment. I never bothered to adapt it into a fanfiction format, so please let me know how I can improve.

Thank you very much for reading!


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